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All that the mighty oak is now was once contained in the little acorn.

At new moon times we can maximize access to untapped potential. We have an idea/wish/dream that we would like to see become a reality…but that process is a lot easier said than done. The timing has to be right, as do the collaborators, assistants, the network, the delivery, those who cover our normal responsibilities when we just have to stay in the zone a little bit longer.

We use a lot of farming metaphors because everyone has generally understood how to apply them to their unique situation. My idea/wish/dream is the symbolic seed; I must (insert farmer chore here) for that seed or it will never happen.

And it still may not happen: that’s a possibility in what is yet to be. But just as the seas obey her tug, so the moon can indicate to us carbon-based folks the wise/wiser/wisest times to launch from the mental to the material plane.

This new moon is in Gemini and that means our mental processes and activities can encapsulate our heart’s desire as pertains to our society, our mode of interaction/learning/teaching, our handiwork, our family members and very close friends, our locale. It means we should be ready to make choices; to be flexible in thought, word and deed; to avoid the temptation to be duplicitous or two-faced; to contemplate our ability to sustain the necessary effort. You must measure which of your wishes would do well in this energy mix and select that one.

A Critical Degree

4’Gemini is a ‘crisis’ degree point, indicating that our environment is provoking a response-wish in us, no matter what else is going on. This makes me picture many little whirls of ‘conversational energy’ being magnetically drawn towards and into the formation of a somewhat singular, megawhirling mindset; the purposeful seeding of an altered zeitgeist. I am not thinking of something so big as a tornado (!); I see this as a community-based phenomenon at the moment, though as like attracts like, these various community-whirls could eventually morph into something regional, national, global.

Back to the Farm…

Ruler of the moon is Mercury, currently just inside the 2nd decan of Taurus. And not to complicate things, but…the moon is exalted in Taurus. This means that, except where necessity forces otherwise, our emotional center (symbolised by the moon) is the root food source of all mercurial energy being grown – and that center is enveloped by the Gemini (Mercury) sun. In English, this means: We are hungry for facts/solutions/mental platforms that we can use to construct a stable dwelling place for our hearts. There is an Arabic proverb (that I spent waay too much time trying to find for you, to no avail) that goes something like, ‘the woman is the central support beam that holds up the house’. Likewise, our emotional well-being is the central support beam of our Personhood. Important stuff!

Taurus rules the throat and voice, Self-possession, physical security and material gain. We could see the most shy amongst us make a seed-decision about how and where to step up and be heard; those who have used print exclusively to share ideas and network could start podcasting to accomodate commuters. The Muse will visit artists with songs that become the peoples’ anthems and visual installations that magically capture exactly how The Group feels.

A Reminder About Jack’s Beanstalk

A Gemini seedling is FAST, so we better keep a watchful eye on it. There may be a need to prune sucker shoots and limbs often in near-future developmental stages to insure a sturdy stalk and upward evolution that we can maintain responsibly. Crucially, we must face the reality that we will reap what we sow. If we are paying careful attention, the quality we are after will show itself – or not – very, very soon. Either way, oh how much we will have learned! And that’s important, too.

– weaver

On Cycles…

An orientation of loving is rooted in a fundamental trust in the intelligence of the soul or psyche, that it knows what it needs for healing and wholeness to come in its own time. Outgrown behaviors or stances did serve their purpose for a time and should be honored for their roles in our lives. Good or bad, they bring us to this present moment which is curiously the only time in which things seem to happen. When we’re able to be exactly where we are and how we are, and in the present with that reality, things can change, move and flow in time. – Erika Jones (source)

Everybody has a mars component to their personality: everybody knows what it feels like to want something enough to get up and get it. This can be as simple as feeding our hungry belly or as complex as defending and growing our Self. Mars is potentially our very own hero within. So, I am going to tell a little story – an allegory of sorts – and hope that you can see some helpful tips for your personal Mars component.*

Mars went spelunking in Scorpio, aka the underworld, from January 4th until the 6th of March. Collectively speaking, those with a wish list/agenda (a storyline) facilitated by getting down and dirty, by pursuing a truth to its root, by facing fears around not-knowingness, by venturing into the darkness almost certainly gleaned some pay dirt.

That’s because Scorpio deals with the symbolic underbelly – the vulnerable zone and the dwelling place of the-least-attractive. Yet a paradoxical theme holds constant: here is also where we mine rocks that have been compressed into gem stones and where ‘the source’ is located and discovered in all manner of mind/body/spirit issues. Knowledge is power. What were you willing to do to gain power?

Rising from the deep and still, on March 7th, Mars stepped through a portal and into a completely different domain: vast expanses of new space just there for the exploring…how delightful after all that cramped fixation! Action, collectively speaking, then became facilitated for those with a wish list/agenda that included expending more physical or intellectual energy (or both, as in my storyline) on a continual basis, a willingness to stretch the mind’s eye and the body’s palette, to discover one’s hope and faith ‘muscles’ and work them like a gym ad model’s six-pack.

And that’s because Sagittarius is all about the quest. Symbolised by the centaur, this archetype combines powerful physical qualities at the service of an idealized mind’s eye. That’s mind/body/spirit in alignment for the next chapter in life location. Have you felt compelled to move? By that, I mean, in either the literal sense or philosophically – or, again, both. Any mental goal posts shifted? Faith and hope can feel a bit scary and exhilarating all at the same time…

Now the next leg of the journey finds our hero getting into complications. Bounding like an escaped hunting puppy, before he knows it he has skidded into the outer encampment of Commander Reality-on-the-Ground. He begins to hear anew the age old proverbs and must even admit to feeling some teensy stretches to his comfort zone. You can’t just ‘go there’ or ‘act on those beliefs’ without any prep work! Have you considered the consequences of your sunny-day plan? What will people think? How will you return if you are wrong? How much does it pay? Do they even have indoor plumbing?! Mars looks around. Frankly, in his heart of hearts, he doesn’t give a damn about any of these things…but so many others do and maybe they realise something he doesn’t…? He was feeling So Inspired! But, of course, survival is paramount.

And like all complicated scenarios, the macro seeds the legion microcosms accordingly. Some of us are coming to believe it is wiser not to take risks; some will suddenly see acceptable treasures on tap right where they are; others will decide that the venture is still completely worth it but requires additional layers of knowledge that must be gained; and still others will gallop around and beyond, full speed ahead towards those little specks on the horizon that indicate a few small settlements exist Out There. None of these developments are right or wrong, in and of themselves. Each of us is living our own hero’s journey. We are where we are, choice by often narrow choice, informed by our level of awareness and the boundaries of our Reality.

I can tell you this: collectively speaking, the flow of Martian energy has slowed markedly over the past month. This has not been pleasant for most minds/bodies/spirits. Reality has made some solid points. Adjustments were enforced one way or another. Those entities bigger than our quest have demanded a time of perceived stasis, a time for contemplating on the experiences and revelations of the recent past.

In fact, as of yesterday, it is grinding its way back to re-fire the work of the digger, the surgeon, the drain snaker. Yes, we are all back down under. Still, we can’t unsee, unlearn, unthink all we’ve experienced. Even if – especially if – you are one who finds yourself in a new mental or physical place (and perhaps think your own storyline breaks off at this point), know that your energies will be best put to use going after the very same kinds or qualities of truths and/or knowledge you were seeking from early January to early March in this locale. Wisdom says, ‘align your step, soldier.’

Most importantly, consider this: this is not the same Mars. This guy has sludged through Scorpio: probably said or did some below-the-belt stuff or had them done to him. He’s fought the elements, battled chills, risen from the dead. He’s known moments of enlightenment, seen visions of the future and been stopped in his tracks.

With all of this in mind, our hero is not destined to squander the circumstances now at hand, right? This is a wiser, big-picture Mars with poking sticks he has made from the trees out in Sag land, new batteries in his helmet light and fresh socks. Now he knows better what he’s looking for and more importantly, WHY. What’s really at stake here? What’s the rush? Let’s just see where our new and improved methodology gets us. When a choice must be made between two tunnels, it can feel quite satisfying – downright empowering – to know why you’re choosing that way. Even if it’s a gut call, its an evolved gut call.

On June 30th, when our hero reaches 23.3’ of Scorpio, he will make camp. The Sabien symbol for this zodiac degree is:

After Having Heard An Inspired Individual Deliver His “Sermon On The Mount,” Crowds Are Returning Home.

That may or may not hold meaning for you – yet. Its ok either way. There will be multiple clues to your treasure hunt that you will note as you go along between now and then. For now, you can look forward to news arriving fairly often and regularly as the Sun and Venus twitter through Gemini. But that’s another bit of your storyline for another day…

*If you don’t understand how to really work your personal Mars energy, you may not feel in control of your direction. Facts like, ‘ All energy is neutral until directed.’ may have you rolling your eyes. Part of getting real with yourself is getting real with your life force…

You can find your Mars marker (for FREE) in a natal wheel generated by astro.com. You can then reference the characteristics listed in the posts below and many other free places on the web. As always, you are welcome to ask me for help as you go along.

Related posts: Mars Retrograde , Heroes in Training There are more articles posted on the 2nd link here and even more can be sourced using the word cloud on the homepage.

For faster results, get some personalized guidance on your treasure hunt! Request a Here and Now Reading from me: elemental.living(at)yahoo(dot)com

The archetypal trend front and center now is Mars. I’ve shared about the qualities of this Action Fire Element (Aries) and Fixed Water Element (Scorpio) in past posts listed at the bottom of the page. Currently, the focal experience is it’s retrograde through Sagittarius.

This indispensable force will take on interior-related forms which may be helpful to imagine one would find in a finery forge or smithy workshop: the hearth, the fire, the anvil, the hammer and tongs, the cooling vat and the blacksmith, who by blood, sweat and skill brings forth lasting, useful works. Mars will be spending an inordinate amount of time (its been decades since we last experienced this) hammering away on our psychosomatic state of Being. Between now and July, we’ll be on the anvil and swinging the hammer.

For a more modern cast and scene that highlights exterior-related forms, we can imagine ourselves as battle heroes in training…

‘Stand Down, Soldier’

Objectively speaking, this is good; subjectively speaking, this may feel like trial by fire. Just remember that Mars can be is egocentric: the sparks from your forge work should not catch your neighbor’s house on fire. In fact, the single most important feature of this span of time seems to me to be about how well you can contain your experience when appropriate. Until we get the hang of this energy and its effects, beware of being the cause of division and strife. Realize that your lessons are not someone else’s – unless they say so, too. (There could easily be group or network building involved.) More good news is that the energy is on tap for doing just that. If we will take the time to periodically de-clutter our minds, focus on our unique skills and receive what’s swirling around us as purifying rather than personal, we should come out the other side a veritable special ops Marine grad.

I imagine we’ll see all sorts of metaphors for what not to do with this energy playing out on the macro-level, but its vital (pun intended!) we take up arms with as much wisdom and foresight as we can muster on the micro-level. How this plays out for you can’t be addressed in a post (click here and scroll to the Here and Now option for your personalized reading) but I can surely give you some pointers to come back to from time to time…

Battle Plan:

Below is a by-no-means-complete list of Mars characteristics through the signs. Still, it should get the mind going. I tried to come up with a few higher and lower vibe examples. It’s a good starting point for thinking about how you use your life force. Just like your heart beats without you even thinking about it, Mars is a reflexive primal energy; civilization forces the individual to become conscious of and temper it. I recommend that you reflect on characteristics (and others that come to mind) from your earliest memories to the present. It’s quite telling and usually affirming to reflect on how you have learned to manage desire, how you differentiate between needs and wants, how you have evolved in going after what you want. (This list will work for fire sign suns, too: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius.)

Note your Venus placement, too. Guess what? The highest vibes you’ve mastered in relation to material goods, ethics, morals and reciprocity will be outstanding tools for tempering the rage of an injured ego. What’s really personal and what’s just baggage that has nothing to do with you? (or them, if its you on the warpath)? What do you attract?

Remember that the key to navigation throughout 2016 is flexibility. Through emotional floods or intellectual tornadoes, that which bends does not break. Whatever the goal or destination may be for you, expect to arrive via currently unforeseeable paths and turns and know that this is part of the grand plan. You shall still arrive. On that note, I want to add something I have found quite helpful: if you possess a great deal of mutable energy (and/or your sun sign is Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces), don’t assume you are so flexible. Does this energy govern an angular or succedent house? If so, it will necessarily carry some degree of that archetype. I have an 11th house mutable party going on all the time and rarely feel stubborn-ish in these matters – but I am!! Sure, (I think) my ‘bend arc’ is quite wide…but red lines are there, some for the good and some not at all. Awareness is an enlightening thing.

Saturn, the Teacher and Taskmaster, is housemates with Mars. This can have a sobering effect. Think: commanding officer tells cadet, ‘Stand down, soldier’. There is something here for you to learn; learning requires a cool head and maturity. Muster as much of this as you can when someone starts pushing your buttons. Try to start each morning remembering this. This energy is on tap for every one of us. And Saturn guarantees concrete rewards upon graduation from boot camp.

In Time

Because of the repetition of the DNA structure, the likelihood of a repeating W*W pattern is highly enhanced, with the W* involved propagating from a near future to the present. The signal from the future is more or less the same as that from the past, and the pattern, consequently, tends toward stability. The more stable the pattern, the less likely that the distant future will disturb it. Again, the idea that there exists a resonance between the qwiff and its structure—involving both the past and the future—is at play here. Signals from the distant future do arrive, however; without them, DNA would never alter its patterns. But the more stable the reinforcement brought on by the repetition of the strand, the smaller the disturbance produced. It is the interplay of the endless crystalline repetition of the DNA strands, twisting in space and dancing in time as vibrations with the almost though not quite random patterns of A, C, G, and T bases, that produces stable animal and plant consciousness. Consciousness, as we commonly experience it, thereby emerges as a consequence of the qwiff vibration patterns associated with DNA vibration patterns repeating and resonating with both the future and the past. Fred Alan Wolf, Physicist